Birds

Jim Wilson/The New York Times

News about Birds, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Mar. 15, 2015

On Nature column by Helen Macdonald describes going on wildlife pilgrimage to observe peregrine falcons that have made their home in decommissioned Poolberg Power Station in Dublin; notes birds seem to be living denial of commonly held misconception that nature exists only where humans are not present. MORE

Mar. 15, 2015

Feb. 8, 2015

Legal battle in Pakistan over foreign hunting permits for houbara bustard, migratory bird that has long been hunted by Arab royalty, has focused attention on practice; order to cancel all foreign hunting permits has become minor political crisis in light of favorable reception by Pakistani officials of Saudi Prince Fahd bin Sultan bin Abdul Aziz when he arrived to hunt the bird; Saudi royalty began visiting Pakistan to engage in hunting houbara in 1970s. MORE

Jan. 26, 2015

Vatican releases balloons as symbol of peace in St Peter's Square, year after gull and crow attacked doves that were released, sparking protests by animal protection groups. MORE

Jan. 13, 2015

Dr Robert F Lachlan study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reports that sparrow songs can take on vastly different meanings depending on small variations in context and repetition. MORE

Jan. 5, 2015

Pangti Journal; residents of remote Indian village Pangti have become enthusiastic stewards of Amur falcons, which they once slaughtered for food, after conservationist campaign convinced them to stop massing killing of migrating birds; are hoping to attract tourists to make up lost revenue; ecologists say birds, which eat mostly insects, are not endangered because of their huge numbers, but may play crucial ecological role. MORE

Dec. 23, 2014

Dr Arjun Amar study in journal Ibis finds that corvids, family of birds including crows and ravens, have little negative influence on abundance and productivity of other bird species; finding runs counter to previous belief. MORE

Dec. 23, 2014

Tinamou, shy, drab, ground-dwelling bird native to South and Central America, produces some of worlds most spectacular eggshells, with unusually bright colors and glossy appearance; study in The Journal of the Royal Society Interface concludes that eggs have unique structure and iridescence. MORE

Dec. 16, 2014

Gustavo Londono study in journal The American Naturalist reports that baby bird in Amazon rain forest, called cinereous mourner, has downy feathers with orange barbs and white tips that make it look like poisonous caterpillar, helping it to avoid predators. MORE

Dec. 7, 2014

First column by Rebecca Solnit examines issue of numerous birds dying due to presence of Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System in Mojave Desert; contends controversy illustrates how debate over climate change and alternative fuels tends to be obfuscated by fact that climate change is difficult to describe and take in. MORE

Dec. 2, 2014

Study in journal Nature Communications concludes that vultures have simple but powerful microbiome, or population of gut bacteria, that allows them to ingest parts of dead animals that would be hazardous to other predators. MORE

Nov. 11, 2014

Salton Sea, 110-year-old, increasingly briny, shallow lake that covers 350 square miles in southern California, is dwindling fast; it was created by a mismanaged effort to divert a river and its wetlands and fish now attract as many as 400 species of migrating birds; officials are scrambling to fend off the consequences of its drying up. MORE

Nov. 11, 2014

The Appraisal column; avian murals appearing in Upper Manhattan where naturalist John Audubon once lived are intended to help the Audubon Society’s campaign to raise awareness of birds that are threatened by climate change; works are also turning the West 140s and 150s into a painted aviary. MORE

Nov. 11, 2014

Study by ecologist Gary Graves in journal Bird Conservation International suggests that Swainson's warbler, secretive, rarely seen songbird that nests in the swamplands of the southeastern United States, may be finding new habitat in man-made pine plantations. MORE

Nov. 6, 2014

Families, wildlife groups and others are raising day-old ring-necked pheasant chicks that they will release into the wild as part of a Utah program to promote game hunting; ranks of hunters have dwindled nationally over much of past 30 years. MORE

Oct. 31, 2014

The yellow-rumped warbler (Setophaga coronata) overwinters farther north than any other North American wood warbler, and is very hardy. MORE

Oct. 21, 2014

Reece Pedler study in journal Biology Letters concludes the banded stilt, a nomadic water bird found in inland salt lakes in Australia, is able to sense and move toward rainfall hundreds of miles away. MORE

Oct. 19, 2014

Corey Kilgannon Character Study column on Therese McNally, retired opera singer who who lives on Upper West Side; McNally has formed close relationship with her red-shouldered macaw Dudley Do-Right; McNally says that parrot, who has mastered roughly 40 words or phrases, actually converses rather than just repeating phrases. MORE

Oct. 15, 2014

Celebrity chefs are waging a campaign to bring the ortolan, tiny overhunted songbird that France banished from restaurant menus in 1999, back to the table; critics say the ortolan is an unnecessary extravagance. MORE

Oct. 14, 2014

Parrot that spoke with a British accent when he disappeared in 2010 is reunited with his owner in Torrance, Calif, and he now speaks Spanish. MORE

Sep. 18, 2014

Michele Raffin runs backyard bird sanctuary at six-bedroom house in Los Altos, Calif; Raffin details her transformation from naive bird rescuer to accomplished breeder and conservationist in her latest book The Birds of Pandemonium: Life Among the Exotic and the Endangered. MORE

Sep. 17, 2014

Several generations of monk parrots, bird native to South America, have settled in and adapted nicely to Queens; Queens colony sprung from escaped birds that were imported to be sold as pets. MORE

Sep. 10, 2014

Comprehensive study by nearly two dozen government agencies and conservation groups concludes that nearly one-third of American birds are in trouble because of steep declines across habitats and ecosystems; news comes on heels of National Audubon Society report saying 650 bird species will be threatened by climate change. MORE

Sep. 9, 2014

Survey conducted by National Audubon Society finds that climate change will drive about half of the approximately 650 bird species in North America to smaller spaces or force them to find new places to live, feed and breed over next 65 years; birds could become extinct if they do not move. MORE

Aug. 28, 2014

Op-Ed article by wildlife biologist Darcy L Ogada warns poachers in Africa are poisoning vultures, whose circling over carcasses has been used by authorities to track down the location of crimes; notes four of the nine main species of vulture on continent are endangered; calls for more stringent regulation and control over the distribution of pesticides, and prosecutions for those who use pesticides to poison wildlife. MORE

Aug. 26, 2014

Study published in journal Science finds that hummingbirds can detect the sweetness of nectar because of an unexpected evolutionary adaptation; research shows birds adapted umami receptors to detect sugar. MORE

Aug. 25, 2014

Ravens, which typically prefer wild, mountainous regions, have been spotted in Chelsea and Greenwich Village, fueling speculation that there is a nest nearby; if confirmed, it would be a first for modern Manhattan, and signal a resurgence in New York city after the birds' absence of well over a century; birders are celebrating their return. MORE

Aug. 18, 2014

Side Street column on Dred Scott Bird Sanctuary, aviary haven just south of 170th Street in Bronx; resident Troy Lancaster transformed lot into park in 1990s, and sanctuary is now part of city's Parks and Recreation Dept. MORE

Aug. 16, 2014

Debate has broken out over whether to shoot hordes of birds that feed on salmon in Columbia River in order to protect rebounding salmon population; some environmentalists have called killing off birds both unnecessary and inappropriate, but others see no other option. MORE

Aug. 5, 2014

Jonathan Weiner essay appreciates work of Peter and Rosemary Grant, leading scientists in field of evolutionary biology who have been studying finches on Galapagos Island of Daphne Major since 1973; holds that their observation of remarkable evolutionary changes in relatively short period of time serves as both model of life on Earth and how to live happy life. MORE

Jul. 28, 2014

Six wildlife and conservation groups in New York are pressing for statewide ban on class of poisons used to kill rats, contending that poison has been indiscriminately killing wildlife, including birds, in places like Central Park; groups are relying on necropsy reports dating back to the 1980s and on fresh evidence from post-mortem examinations conducted by the State Department of Environmental Conservation, MORE

Jul. 27, 2014

Travel Q&A with actress Jane Alexander, who discusses her favorite spots for birding and offers tips on finding bird-watching tours. MORE

Jul. 15, 2014

Science Q&A attempts to explain why early morning cacophony of birds in Manhattan neighborhood grows louder each year. MORE

Jul. 8, 2014

German report discovery of new specimen of Archaeopteryx, 150-million-year-old winged creature thought to represent transition from dinosaurs to birds. MORE

Jun. 12, 2014

Artisanal birdhouse made by Portland, Ore, woodworking company Grovemade is made of walnut, comes with a solid brass perch and sells for $200. MORE

Jun. 7, 2014

Ernesto Pulido, tree trimmer in Oakland, Calif, will not face charges for knocking five baby herons from their nest while trimming trees for the United States Postal Service. MORE

Jun. 3, 2014

Tree trimmer Ernesto Pulido may face federal charges for violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 after trimming trees outside Oakland, Calif, post office where protected herons were nesting; United States Postal Service hired Pulido to prune trees because birds were defecating on mail trucks, but in the course of the job, five baby black-crowned night herons fell from their nests and were injured. MORE

May. 14, 2014

New York City Audubon, American Bird Conservancy and Fordham University are studying how different kinds of glass can serve as stop signs for migrating birds and ultimately prevent widespread deaths as result of building crashes. MORE

May. 13, 2014

Study in journal Nature suggests that migrating birds, which rely on earth's magnetic field to find their way, may become lost when exposed to electromagnetic noise from radio signals and electronic devices. MORE

May. 13, 2014

May. 10, 2014

In a debate that is akin to an identity crisis, competitive birding, once seen as a refuge from the clatter of the modern world, is now debating how much it should embrace technology. MORE

May. 7, 2014

R. Buckminster Fuller is credited with the design of the structure that is now a birdhouse at the Queens Zoo, but a little-known architect seems to have had a lot more to do with it. MORE

May. 6, 2014

Scientists studying effects of radiation on contaminated area near Chernobyl nuclear power plant have found that some bird species have adapted to radioactive environment by producing higher levels of protective antioxidants, with correspondingly less genetic damage. MORE

May. 6, 2014

Team of scientists studying effect of Deepwater Horizon oil spill on bird populations in Gulf of Mexico estimates that 800,000 birds died in accident, number far higher than 3,000 recovered carcasses; number is based on models using publicly available data and assumes that ocean currents carried most carcasses away from site; BP has disputed number. MORE

May. 5, 2014

Spring in Prospect Park can be a time of conflict between bird-watchers and dog owners, especially those who let their pets off the leash, as hundreds of species of birds migrate north. MORE

Apr. 15, 2014

Program called BirdReturns has joined conservationists, bird watchers and farmers in effort to restore wetland habitats of migrating birds that once dominated California's Central Valley; program draws on data collected from bird watchers via smartphone app eBird, to determine where habitat improvement is most needed; program then pays farmers to keep fields flooded when migrating flocks arrive. MORE

Apr. 13, 2014

FYI column on reason behind temporary darkening of Con Edison clock tower in Union Square--protection of migrating birds--and whether bingo was invented in New York. MORE

Apr. 10, 2014

Scientists are studying limits of the intelligence of crows in order to better understand how they think; study published in journal PLoS One brings into question crows' ability to think abstractly and whether they understand cause and effect. MORE

Mar. 31, 2014

Letter from Ingrid E Newkirk, president, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, comments on March 23 Richard Conniff Op-Ed article about the dangers of outdoor cats. MORE

Mar. 25, 2014

Study in journal The Auk: Orinthological Advances shows that Ruppells vultures, which feed early in day, gain access to better meat than lappet-faced vultures, which feed later inday. MORE